Nighttime Visit
by aphelion-orion
Summary: It is the night before his first mission, and Azel can't sleep. [fluff, angst and a side dish of shounen ai]


_Title:_ Nighttime Visit  
_Fandom: _Magna Carta  
_Pairing:_ Calintz+Azel  
_Rating:_ PG (?)  
_Warnings: _fluff-angst and kissy-kissy stuff between two pretty boys  
_Disclaimer:_ If Magna Carta were mine, you know who would've been the canon couple. XD  
_Notes: _Written for twigcollins.

**----- **

**Nighttime Visit**

**- **

Azel can't sleep. It is the night before his first mission, and he simply can't sleep. His eyes restlessly search the darkness, trying to find something to focus on, anything that's boring enough to help him fall asleep, but he has exhausted his possibilities. Counting the tiles on the floor did not help, going over his kata in silence didn't help, and he can't even think of trying to meditate when all he wants to do is run around in circles and scream to try and get rid of the worry gnawing at his gut. 

Sleep is important, Azel tells himself. If he isn't properly rested, he'll be inattentive tomorrow, he'll screw up and get killed if he isn't careful - or worse, he'll get someone else killed. His mind all too readily supplies all kinds of possible scenarios in vivid detail, but he stubbornly tries to ignore them all. He'll never become a mercenary if he's done in by his own nervousness, and all the time and care the Captain invested in him will be wasted. The image that decides to crop up at that thought is the last straw; Azel is off the bed and out the door before he even realizes it, stumbling towards the staircase in the darkness, because the image of his dear Captain paying for a deadly mistake on his part is just too much to bear.

Azel ignores the fact that it is two o'clock in the morning and everyone is most likely asleep; he's going to find the Captain and ask him to take him off this mission, _now_.

The streaks of moonlight along the floor help him to find the right door, and Azel has already raised his fist to knock when his common sense catches up with him. _Showing up panicking like a headless chicken will make a fine impression_, it sneers, _what is the Captain going to think when his disciple shows up at his door in the middle of the night because he's_ scared_? That's right, he'll be disappointed in you. So just lower your hand, and nobody will get hurt, turn around and walk back and go to sleep before-_

The door opens.

Azel is so surprised that he stumbles back and falls flat on his ass, an undignified yelp escaping him. The Captain is standing in the doorway, barefooted, his hair sleep-mussed, his shirt sliding off one shoulder, but his eyes are awake and alert, the fire in them visible even in the semi-darkness of the hallway.

After a moment, his stance relaxes visibly, since most assassins probably don't make a habit out of landing on their butts, and Azel realizes that he has come very close to meeting the sharp blade of a dagger up close and personal.

"Azel," Calintz says softly, his voice still scratchy from sleep, and it is as much a greeting as a question.

The boy opens his mouth but can't get his vocal cords to cooperate. Calintz sighs and slips the dagger back into the sheath hidden beneath his sleeve before extending his hand to help. Azel gratefully takes it, embarrassed at his own sweaty palms, but before he can say anything or apologize, the Captain quietly motions him inside.

As Calintz moves to close the door, the little voice that was shocked into silence starts up again. _Stupidstupidstupid_, it mutters. _Lingering in front of the Captain's door like an idiot. Of course he'd wake up, he's got the right to be a little paranoid when-_

"I apologize for frightening you," the Captain says, lightly brushing fingers over his shoulder in an indication to follow. The lamps remain out, but they aren't really necessary. The moonlight filtering in from the lone window is enough to see. Despite that, Azel hopes the Captain doesn't notice his guilty flush. "I- I'm very sorry, sir. I- I didn't mean to wake you, I--"

"Didn't you?" Calintz interjects, a hint of amusement in his voice. "Does this mean you make a habit of skulking around my door at night?"

Azel can't repress the embarrassed squawk that escapes him, and blushes even more because of it. This time, he is sure the Captain can see it. "N-no, no, sir. I just wanted- I wouldn't- I mean I don't...!"

That earns him a smile which tells him 'no harm done, I'm not angry', and for a moment, the feeling of relief almost makes him dizzy. When they reach their destination, Calintz slides back on the bed with effortless grace and pats the space beside him in silent invitation.

Azel is blushing again, the gesture and its implications sending his mind down corridors it shouldn't go in front of the Captain, so it takes him a while to shake his head. He has to remember what he came here for, and since it is too late to turn back, he may as well make his request now. He takes a deep breath and straightens. "Captain, sir... I'd like to ask you to... please withdraw me from tomorrow's mission, sir."

In the resulting silence, Azel can't look his superior officer in the eye anymore. He's afraid of what he will see there, disappointment, displeasure, acceptance, and he doesn't know which would be worse. Finally, Calintz shakes his head again, loose white strands swinging with the motion, and pats the space beside him again, a little more insistent than before.

Azel knows an order when he sees it, so he obeys and sits down, draws his legs up and braces his feet on the bed frame. At the moment, he's much too worried to actually be embarrassed, but the blush on his cheeks darkens again regardless. Satisfied with the situation, the Captain turns to face him.

"No," he says slowly. "Unless you can provide me with a good enough reason for this sudden change of heart. Do you... feel unwell?"

It takes Azel a moment to realize that the Captain is not asking him whether or not he is sick, he actually wants to know what is bothering him. "I... I'm worried," he admits slowly. "I can't help but feel that... that I'm not ready, that I'll make a mistake, and I couldn't bear it if..."

He clamps down on the rest of the sentence because that seems much too intimate a thing to say. _I couldn't bear it if you got hurt because of me._

The fingers beneath his chin are a surprise. They are forcing him to meet the Captain's gaze, and as much as he wants to, once their eyes meet, he can't look away. The blazing intensity from before is gone, but the eyes are still warm, a gentle burn across his skin.

"I understand," Calintz finally replies, "But I won't grant your request. I understand that you're scared, but that's nothing to be ashamed of. Everyone is scared sometimes, but the trick is to continue on despite that fear. If I let you turn back now because you are afraid, when will you learn to face that fear, then? Believe me when I tell you that you will feel the same regardless if you go on a mission tomorrow, or in a month."

Azel chokes on his reply because denying the truth in those words would mean lying. Shame pools low in his belly, he wants to look away but can't. _You're a coward_, sneers the little voice, _you're a coward and now the Captain knows. Couldn't keep your mouth shut, could you? Shows how much of a help you'll be to him._

The Captain interrupts the voice by slipping the hand from beneath Azel's chin to the nape of his neck, pulling slightly and bumping their foreheads together. Azel is so surprised by the move that he actually has to scramble to keep from pitching forward; the gesture is not unfamiliar, just unexpected. The Captain used to do it often when Azel was younger, a gentle gesture in a rough environment that showed that despite all the training and orders, he still wanted them to be friends. Azel can't remember when that ritual stopped between them, or who called it off first, but repeating it now seems different somehow. He is keenly aware of the warm pressure of Calintz's fingers against his neck, and his breath brushing over his face, and he can't help but think that it's not just him for whom the gesture has changed.

"I seem to remember," Calintz whispers, "a certain someone who told me during our last sparring match to 'just bring it on'. I don't mean to brag, but there aren't many people who would dare challenge me like that. Don't tell me that I managed to beat down your self-esteem that much."

Azel shakes his head minutely, the reminder of their last duel making him blush fiercely once more. Embarrassing to think that he had the gall to say _that_ to the Captain; he didn't feel more confident then than he does now, he just got caught up in the moment, throwing taunts back and forth in the heat of battle.

But Calintz doesn't give him a chance to come up with a suitable reply. "You'll do fine."

"Sir," is all that he can manage. "I'll do my best, sir, but..."

"Didn't you hear me?" Calintz interrupts, a little steel in his voice. "I said, you'll do _fine_." And then, without a warning, he leans forward and plants a kiss square on Azel's lips.

His brain frozen over, Azel can't produce more than a surprised gasp, which gets lost between them. His eyes fall closed of their own accord, and the little voice is hardly able to work up anything more than an impatient, _Oh just kiss him back already_. Azel decides that listening to the little voice might be a good idea, this time.

As far as kisses go, it isn't anything like what he's seen Chris doing to some girl or another, which looked more like trying to eat each other's faces. But that's okay, Azel thinks. This is as adventurous as he can imagine getting, a dry, not quite chaste kiss between them, the only other point of contact being Calintz's fingers on his neck. He isn't sure how long it lasts, only that he's out of breath and flustered when they part, and that he's lost the ability to form coherent sentences somewhere along the way.

The Captain seems to be faring slightly better, because he reiterates, "You'll do fine."

Azel nods vigorously because agreeing seems like a good thing, and Calintz leans forward to kiss him again.

--------

A/N:  
- Yes, this is _the_ dagger. You know which one.  
- Since the game has been loathe to explain it to us, I'm guessing Azel was somewhere between twelve and fourteen when Calintz took him in, so I think they'd be quite close even without Azel wanting to get into Calintz's pants. nods

Like? Hate? Reasons? Please, do tell.


End file.
